Catholics celebrate Easter with scandal still looming

MADISON (WKOW) -- This Easter Sunday came just a week after the Catholic church faced one of the biggest scandals in decades.

But that didn't keep Catholics from coming out in droves to attend Easter mass. At Saint Maria Goretti Parish in Madison, priests say there were more attendees than last year.

It's a little more than a week after more sexual abuse allegations from the 1950's, including a case from Milwaukee, came to light. Priests say this day of rebirth may be just what the church needs.

Rev. Msgr. Michael L. Burke says, "The recent things in the Catholic Church are really sad, and they're painful. We're going through cleansing and your heart is breaking for the victims of this, but I think this is what Easter is all about: it's a second chance, about doing better things. It's about hope, about love, about taking care of people.

The Archbishop has apologized for the actions of a priest in Milwaukee years ago, and has said the church will do everything it can to help the victims involved.